Top Five Vezina Trophy Candidates of the 2022-23 NHL Season
The position of the goaltender has become more vital than ever. The style of gameplay changes, the offense becomes more fluent, and today’s goaltender has to be more athletic than ever.
Hockey players are getting better at creating scoring chances, and goaltenders have to be quicker than ever in order to win the Vezina Trophy.
The goaltenders of today are different than those of years past. The quirks of a goaltender that most find interesting are the same things that make these masked warriors the most critical position in the game today.
The Vezina Trophy, awarded to the best overall goaltender at the end of the season, gets more difficult to hand out as the goaltenders keep improving, and the list of goaltenders who can win this award gets longer every year.
Who are the top five Vezina Trophy candidates this season?
While the goaltending position is the best it has been, it is the most pressure-filled. Below are the top five candidates for the Vezina Trophy, as I see it so far this year. The crop of goaltenders may be the best five in the league.
The goaltenders below are goaltenders nobody expected to be great. My five candidates below are having seasons, some having elite numbers.
While the statistics could change throughout the season, these are my picks as the season stands now. All have played the best and rank amongst the top goaltending statistics this year. Most of these goaltenders would be considered second-tier, but they are posting elite-level numbers across the board.
All but one of these netminders are from the Eastern Conference. Is there a discussion about the best goaltender in the league and whether any of these players would qualify? It is never too early to give recognition to those who are playing hockey between the pipes.
My top five choices for the Vezina Trophy as of week four of the 2022-2023 NHL season are below.
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart is coming off a couple of subpar seasons. Drafted by the Flyers 48th overall in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft, the expectations were high. He’s been steady but not spectacular until now.
Hart is out to prove people wrong. He had a record of 13-24 last season his worst season in the NHL. He already has half of those wins and we are not out the first month of the season.
With new coach John Tortorella, the Flyers and Hart have a new energy that places them third in the Metropolitan Division with a 6-3-2 record.
Hart has been spectacular so far, posting a record of 6-0-2 with a .946 save percentage and a GAA of 1.97, he has been one of the several bright spots for Philadelphia. His six wins are tied for second, his save percentage is third, his GAA is fourth, and he has the second most saves in the league with 280.
Hart is relying heavily on his reflexes and agility to make himself and the Flyers a better team. After last season, Hart is determined to make this Flyers team a playoff team before the season concludes.
He is having the best season he has had in the NHL and it is hard to question a guy who is determined to show people he was not a draft-day mistake. Hart is playing superb hockey and he is making it look easy.
He is a goaltender who likes a workload, whether it is a lot of shots or playing several games in a row. Hart thrives on pressure and is a confident kid. He is keeping Philadelphia in games that they are being outplayed by simply playing his game.
He is one of the better young goaltenders in the league and one that could win a Vezina Trophy before his time is done.
Detroit Red Wings netminder Ville Husso is no stranger to success. While his time with the St. Louis Blues, he racked up 34 wins in 57 career games with the Blues, including 25-7 last season.
A goaltender who is not flashy but gets the job done, he relies on his technique and positioning to deny shooters of any skill level.
Husso came to Detroit this past offseason via a sign-and-trade with St. Louis intending to be the number one guy. So far, he has lived up to that billing.
Coming to Detroit was not easy though. Coming from a defensive system like the Blues to a system where there was not much coordination or structure.
However, Husso looks very comfortable and is having a great start to the season. Maybe one that nobody saw coming, especially behind that defense in Detroit.
This is what makes him an early Vezina Trophy favorite. His success regardless of where he plays comes to a revamped, yet still troubled Detroit defense. He has shown no sign of slowing down and if he continues this hot streak, could be a Vezina finalist.
Husso is 5-1-1 with a .941 save percentage and a 1.86 GAA. His save percentage is fourth among goaltenders, while his GAA is third and he is tied for first with two shutouts. Husso has led the revamped Red Wings to a 6-3-2 record, good for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Husso has adjusted well to the less-than-stellar Detroit defense. He stays calm in the net and does not do anything to jeopardize the team. His rebound control is good and plays the angles with aggressiveness.
Husso is the number one goaltender from here on out and could see an increase in his win total as he is already one-third of the way to last season’s total. With the number of shots he sees on a nightly basis, his save percentage could see a rise as well.
A Vezina Trophy nomination, or win, would not surprise many, especially if he continues his hot play and the Red Wings end up securing a playoff spot.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson has led the Golden Knights to one of the best records in the league at 11-2-0. That record leads the Pacific Division as Vegas is coming out of the gates as one of the hottest teams in the league.
Thompson has the chance to win a Vezina Trophy and lead Vegas back to the playoffs, hopefully backstopping them to another Stanley Cup appearance.
Thompson is coming off a stellar season between the pipes for Vegas, keeping the Golden Knights in many games during his first taste of NHL action. Unknown to many last seasons, he has come out with purpose this season. That purpose is to win a Stanley Cup and possibly a Vezina Trophy.
Thompson is 6-2 with a .934 save percentage and a 2.01 GAA. His six wins are tied for second amongst goaltenders, his GAA is sixth, and his save percentage is seventh.
As one of few goaltenders who catch with their right hand, Thompson has come in and secured the starter’s job with Robin Lehner out of action. His play could signal the end for Lehner in a Vegas jersey.
He plays an aggressive net and allows few rebounds. Thompson’s mental game is strong and is not shaken when a goal is scored against him. He plays the same aggressive game whether Vegas is winning or losing.
Thompson is an underrated passer, often leading a breakout the other way. Thompson caught the attention of the NHL last season, filling in for Lehner, and played extremely well. He came into training camp as a backup but now is one of the better goaltenders in the league.
New York Islanders Ilya Sorokin put his name on the map last season, his second in the NHL. During his first season, he posted a record of 13-6-3 and ranked 15th in the Calder Trophy voting in his rookie year. He has been a solid goaltender since the 2020-2021 season and does not look to be slowing down.
Entering his third season in the NHL, Sorokin is determined to make the Islanders contenders again. With a tight division that will be a hard task but Sorokin has the mental preservation to withstand a long season and play well.
This season, Sorokin is 6-3 with a .933 save percentage and a 2.20 GAA, to go along with one shutout. The Islanders are 8-5, which is third in the Metropolitan Division. Sorokin may not lead many goaltending categories but he is the reason the Islanders are above .500.
He has played spectacular hockey and, on most nights, is standing on his head. The Islanders are trying to get back to the playoffs and, with Sorokin between the pipes, this is certainly possible.
Sorokin is tenth in the NHL amongst goalies in GAA and eighth in save percentage. This does not seem like Vezina Trophy-caliber stats but he has been under fire most nights and kept New York in most games. He refuses to quit and has shown poise in the crease.
In his nine games, he is making almost 30 saves per game. While his defense is not what it used to be, Sorokin thrives with the number of shots. His agility and quickness have allowed him to stop six of seven short-handed opportunities against him for a .857 save percentage.
He does not quit on any play and is always in position for the next shot.
Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark is likely the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy as the season stands today. He has been nothing short of amazing and looks to continue his streak of hot starts.
Ullmark is 9-1 with a .932 save percentage and a GAA of 2.05 with one shutout. His nine wins lead all goaltenders, his save percentage is tenth, his GAA is seventh, and has played the most minutes (616.08). His play has the Bruins as one of the better teams in the league, sitting atop the Atlantic Division with an 11-2 record.
Ullmark, drafted by the Buffalo Sabres 163rd in the 2012 NHL Draft, had a career-high of 26 wins last season with Boston. He is one-third of the way there already and could see a new career-high with his play so far.
Boston has lost a lot of defensemen and defensive forwards but that does not seem to affect Ullmark. He has risen to new heights, leading Bostin to the top of one of the more difficult divisions in the league. Ullmark can lead Boston to another division title, and possibly, another Stanley Cup championship.
Ullmark is focused, determined, and hungry to keep the number one role. Last season’s breakout player, goaltender Jeremy Swayman, has not been as impressive this year. This is allowing Ullmark to showcase his skills and lead the Bruins every time they take the ice.
He is a strong candidate to take some hardware and not out of the question to start with the Vezina Trophy.
He is an older goaltender at 29 years old, but with age comes experience. That experience has given Ullmark the chance to become a better goaltender, which he has done in his time with Boston.
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Ullmark is a positional goaltender and, at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, takes up a lot of the net. In his last six starts, he has a 5-1 record with a GAA of 2.00 and stopping 27 shots per game. In 55 games played with the Bruins, he has 35 wins.
He gets better with every opportunity and is one to watch as this season continues.